Questions on Sicily
 

Hi,

I've been reading the other helpful threads on Sicily and wanted to get people's views on it as an option for a 2 week holiday for myself and girlfriend.

We are looking to go for the first two weeks of August (I know its really busy but she's a teacher) and would look to spend the first week exploring and the second week relaxing.

If you had one week to explore, what are the must sees? Where would you base yourself? Would you hire a care?

And if you were to spend a week in a certain area to relax in a scenic area with nice beaches where would you recommend?

Equally would appreciate people's views on where else they might consider given our requirements.

Thanks

IMO, the must sees in Sicily are Palermo and Siracusa, with Agrigento a close third. There is no base that would be convenient to all of these, so you'll have move around a little.

Do get a car on your way out of Palermo or Siracusa. Roads are good and driving is easy.

Someone else will have to address beaches. I swam at Cefalu' and in Siracusa and neither had what I would call a "good beach", but I'm spoiled by the Florida panhandle beaches. However, Cefalu' did have a real beach, however, with places to change.

Thanks for your response, much appreciated.

All Italian beaches will be more or less crowded in August. The better the beach the bigger the crowds.
The most popular Sicilian beaches with foreign tourists are Taormina, Lipari, Vulcano, San Vito lo Capo, Marina di Noto, Sciaccamare (rather a holiday ghetto) and Cefalu.
Many others are fine too.
But beaches in Sardinia are much better (ferries and planes from Palermo and Trapani).

In June 2014 we spent a week in Lipari and 6 nights in Siracusa. We loved our holiday in Sicily but we didn't see all the sights.
On Lipari we went to the beach at Acqua Calda. This is a pebbly beach but the water is crystal clear. We hired a sun bed each and an umbrella at a cost of 15 euros for the day. We ate at Aurora Cafe where the people are lovely and the food is delicious.
While staying in Siracusa we went to the beach at Fontane Bianche. Lovely white sand but there was sea grass in the water in some places. Again 15 euros for beds and umbrellas. Not too busy at either beach in June but I would expect them to be very busy in August. We didn't stay at the beach. We stayed in town and caught the bus to the beach. We combined days of sight seeing and days of relaxing. We stayed in self contained apartments in both places.
To me it doesn't matter if you don't see everything. I just love the experience of being there, meeting people and eating the food. Make sure if you go to Siracusa you go to the fresh food market on Ortigia and eat in one of the delis. We had a tasting plate that was " to die for".

Much as I love Sicily, I wonder if you are fully committed to taking your vacation there? It WILL be hot, and by spending one of your two weeks on the beach you will end up skipping some of Sicily's most magnificent sites. Just something to consider....

IMO, the most magnificent sites in Sicily include the cathedral in Monreale (just outside Palermo), the mosaics of the Villa Romana del Casale, the Greek ruins (I've never managed to decide which I like best :-) ), the energy and fascinating sites of Palermo, and the lovely plazas and quiet back streets of Ortygia. The fanciful facades of Noto come close to making my personal "best-of" list. JMO. (And I reserve the right to add more to the list. ;-) )

FWIW, of the half-dozen guidebooks I used when planning my time in Sicily, I found the Rough Guide the most useful BY FAR.

Hope that helps!

It really depends on your interests. Not everybody enjoys tromping around ruins (even in cooler weather) or is impressed by Palermo. Sicily has immense variety in its history and traditions. Some people are more interested in ceramics, wine and castles than they are in Greek ruins, volcanoes and olive oil. I would be wary of letting other people choose for you. For my first trip to Sicily, I relied on the advice of a travel agent who specialized in Sicily and was recommended by a colleague, who raved and raved about her trip to Sicily. Against my better judgment, the travel agent persuaded me to spend 3 nights in Taormina -- which is terribly, terribly touristy. I could have seen everything I wanted to see there in an hour or two. Likewise, I see Ortygia mentioned above, and while it has a magnificent cathedral and some charm, I think it has been oversold as a Sicilian "must-see." On the other hand, I spent a couple of days in the so-called "baroque towns" of Sicily (which the travel agent had never visited), and they were my very favorite experience of Sicily, along with a remote agriturismo near Etna. On a separate trip last year I spent a week in Palermo, and found it fascinating, and would go back again for more -- although in August, I don't know how I'd cope with the heat in the city.

Were I traveling in August, I would keep in mind that most outdoor sights in Sicily do not have any shade, so doing all outdoor sightseeing in the morning, before 10am, is almost a must. I would also highly recommend planning your time around the notion that you will join the Sicilians in relaxing or snoozing mid-day, and not moving about again until 5pm or so. And join the Sicilians in eating icy fruit drinks and gelato for breakfast.

Also, rather than planning a beach trip, I would consider going to the mountains for cooler air and a more unusual experience of Sicilian culture. There are many beautiful agriturismi around the Madonie area.

Thank you all for your considered responses. I will definitely visit Sicily but am leaning towards finding another destination for this holiday (given its first two weeks of August) and taking in all of the sights mentioned above at a different time.